Book-support



(No Model.)

W. H. MORRISON. BOOK SUPPORT.

Patented Mar. 8,1892.

5; r! J nip 1 50 FICJ- Illlll I W W 127 J/Zv Wiz'son Noam; versus cu,PHOTD-UYNQ, msnmc'rov n c NITE-D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM H. MORRISON, OF HOLHESBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOOK-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,207, dated March 8,1892.

Application filed January 13, 1891- Serial No. 377,641. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. MORRISON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Holmesburg, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Book-Support, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to book-supports; and the object of the same isto produce an improved device of this character.

To this end the invention consists of the details of constructionhereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as illustrated on thetwo sheets of drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a general elevation of thedevice suitably supported from the arm of a chair. Fig. 2 is an enlargedperspective view of one end of the rack, showing the foot as raised infull lines and as lowered in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a central verticalsection through the rack and foot. Referring to the said drawings, theletter C designates the clamp; U, the upright; S, the sleeve; B, theball-and-socket joint; R, the rack; F, the foot, and H the connectionbetween the last two members, these parts being, respectively, of thefollowing construction:

The upright U may be supported in any suitable manner and on anyconvenient object, but, as illustrated, is clamped in position to thearm of achair, as shown in Fig. 1, by the clamp O.

The clamp C comprises an inner member 2, having a semicircular groove inits face and having horizontal flanges 4, adapted to pass, respectively,above and below the arm of a chair, the edge of a table, or othersimilar piece of furniture, a thumb-screw 5 passing upwardly through thelowermost flange and bearing against the under face of the part betweenthe flanges whereby this member is held thereon. This clamp alsocomprises an outer member 6, having a similar groove registering withthat in the inner member, and the members are loosely connected at oneside of the grooves by screws 7, while a thumb-screw 8 passes looselythrough the outer member and takes into a threaded hole 9 in the innermember at the other side of the grooves, by which means the two membersmay be brought together.

The sleeve S is of metal, shaped to fit loosely upon the horizontal arm11 of the upright,

and a set-screw 13 through this sleeve impinges against said arm toprevent movement of the sleeve thereon after its adjustment.

The ball-and-socket joint B is mounted upon the sleeve, (or in somecases directly upon the upper end of the upright,) and it comprises alower member 20, which is hol-" low, an upper member 22, formed in theshape of a hand-nut and which screws upon the lower member 20 by meansof threads 23, and a ball 24 within the nut and resting upon thecushion. By a slight modification the lower member 20 could be madesolid and the ball could be coated with rubber, although I have notdeemed it necessary to illustrate this feature. Rising from the ball 24is a stem 25, b'olted or screwed to the rack R, as shown. The foot Fextends along. the lower edge of said rack, to which it is connected bythe hinges H, the latter being of the following construction: A plate 30is secured to the end of the foot and has a projecting tongue 31.

A plate 32 is secured to the end of the rack,

and its lower end 33 passes over the tongue 31 and is pivotallyconnected thereto by a rivet 34. By this means when the foot is lowered,as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, the tip of the tongue 31 pressesupwardly against the front edge 35 of the plate 32, which is turned overon the face of the rack; but

' when the foot is raised, as shown in full lines,

the tip of the tongue extends slightly beyond the rear edge of the plate32.

36 is a spring secured to the rear face of the rack with its free enddownward, and 37 is a screw seated in the back of the rack, but notscrewed tightly down upon this spring, through which latter the shank ofthe screw extends.

38 is a finger on the free end of the spring,

which engages the tip of the tongue. By this construction when the footis raised the finger automatically engages the tongue and holds the footin that position; but when it is desired to lower the foot the finger 38is pressed to the rear by the operator, whereby it is caused todisengage the tip of the tongue, and hence the foot is allowed to turnaround its pivot 34 into alignment with the rack, the tip of the tonguestriking the turned-over edge 35 and holding the parts in thatcondition. The combined rack and foot may then be used as a writing-deskby tilting them to the proper angle, or by setting them level they mayserve as a dentists or other table to support light articles.

40 are L-shaped retainers, one arm of each of which is journaled in theedge of the foot and the other arm projects over above the rack in orderto hold the leaves of a book open in a manner which will be obvious, andll is a U-shaped retainer, onearm of which is journaled in the upperedge of the rack and the other arm of which extends downwardly over theupper edge of a sheet of music or of the leaves of the said book.

As shown in Fig. 3, the lower edge of the rack R is preferably square,as at 42, and the contiguous edge of the foot is grooved, as at 43, inorder that these parts may turn one upon the other and may make a smoothtable or desk top when they stand in alignment. However, the pivots 34at the ends of the rack and foot will generally serve to quite firmlyconnect these members.

By adjusting the connection H the foot F can be set at an angle to or inalignment with the rack.

The uses to which this device may be put having a tongue 31, a pivot 3t,connecting said lower end and tongue, and a spring 36, secured to theback of the rack with the free end engaging the tip of said tongue,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a book-su pport, the combination, with an upright and a racksupported thereby, of a plate 32, secured to each end of the rack andhaving a free lower end 33 and a front edge 35 bent over the front ofthe rack, a foot F, a plate 30, secured to each end thereof and having atongue 81, a pivot 34, connecting said lower end and tongue, a spring36, secured to the back of the rack and having a finger 38, adapted toengage the tip of said tongue, and a screw 37, passing through saidspring into the rack and having its head slightly raised above thespring, all substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAM H. MORRISON.

WVitnesses:

ALBERT D. WILsQN, GEORGE R. SNowDEN.

